Revolutionizing Automotive Communication with AI-Powered Texting | Alyssa Cervantes from Icom AI

Ernesto Quezada: Pathmonk is the intelligent tool for website lead generation. With increasing online competition, over 98% of website visitors don’t convert. The ability to successfully show your value proposition and support visitors in their buying journey separates you from the competition online. Pathmonk qualifies and converts leads on your website by figuring out where they are in the buying journey and influencing them in key, consistent moments with relevant micro experiences like case studies, intro videos, and much more. Stay relevant to your visitors and increase conversions by 50%. Add Pathmonk to your website in seconds. Let the AI do all the work and get access to 50% more qualified leads while you keep doing marketing and sales as usual. Check us out on pathmonk.com. Welcome to today’s episode. Let’s talk about today’s guest. We have Alyssa Cervantes, marketing director at Icom AI. How are you doing today, Alyssa?

Alyssa Cervantes: Hi, Ernesto. I’m doing amazing. Thank you for having me.

Ernesto: It’s great to have you on, and while I’m sure our listeners are tuning in wondering what Icom AI is all about, let’s kick it off with that. Alyssa, in your own words, can you tell us a little bit more?

Alyssa: Yes, absolutely. Icom AI is an AI-powered texting platform that enhances conversations for dealerships and other automotive enterprises to increase customer contact, sales opportunities, and of course, customer satisfaction. Icom AI is all about enhancing better conversations for the automotive industry through our own trained proprietary AI models.

Ernesto: Right, interesting. Perfect. So, for our listeners to get a better understanding of Icom AI, what would you say is the key problem that you solve for clients?

Alyssa: Absolutely. For dealership sales, acquisition, or service teams, we help them increase customer contact by assisting with that tedious customer follow-up through text scheduling, phone, and in-store appointments—eliminating the manual hassle of back-and-forth communication, which could take hours or days. We also help with long-term follow-up and reengagement, whether that spans days, weeks, or months. That’s what we’re helping dealerships and automotive enterprises with through our customer conversation AI.

Ernesto: Okay, right. I don’t want to assume, but are dealerships the only vertical that you target, or are there other segments that could benefit from Icom AI?

Alyssa: Yes, absolutely. We started with our dealer partners, helping them enhance their customer conversations, but we’ve expanded this past year to support automotive enterprises as well. We now have several partnerships using our proprietary models for conversations related to financing, insurance, or even vehicle part verification.

Ernesto: Awesome, great to hear that. So how does a dealership, like one of your clients such as Toyota Vero Beach, usually find out about Icom AI? Do you have a primary client acquisition channel?

Alyssa: Absolutely. Our analytics show that a lot of our inbound leads find us through our social ads, both paid and organic social media. That has driven a significant portion of our audience to our social platforms and, in turn, to our website. The automotive industry has a strong online and social presence, so we often find them through those organic channels.

Ernesto: Perfect. Great to hear that. So, for our listeners who are tuned in, they can visit you at Icom AI. What role does the website play in client acquisition?

Alyssa: Yeah, absolutely. Our website helps leads find content such as success stories, blogs, and press releases to educate them on who we are. When they’re ready to learn more or inquire about how AI can help their dealership, they can submit their information through our contact support page, contact sales page, or contact enterprise page. It plays a key role in gaining their information and educating them about our services.

Ernesto: Definitely important. So, is there any tool or tip you would recommend to our listeners for website lead generation?

Alyssa: Absolutely. Our website has been a major focus for us in 2022 and 2023. My first tip would be to manage your website in-house. Personally, I like being able to make changes efficiently without relying on an external team. The second tool I’d recommend is a CRM to capture information and track analytics. Lastly, having an agile approach to your website is important—plan, over-plan, and always keep the customer journey at the center of everything.

Ernesto: Definitely agree. Thank you for sharing that. Let’s switch gears and talk about you as a leader at Icom AI. As the marketing director, what are some key tasks you focus on in your day-to-day work?

Alyssa: Beyond brainstorming and finding inspiration, some daily tasks include creating, publishing, editing, and diving into analytics. I’m often working in Canva, Word, our CMS, or on social media platforms. I also collaborate with various teams, like developers, sales, and dealer success teams, to ensure our plans are aligned.

Ernesto: Definitely sounds like a full plate! When you do have some free time, how do you stay updated on marketing strategies and trends? Any preferred channels?

Alyssa: Absolutely. I stay updated through Google Trends, but I also love learning more about the software I use. I’m currently deep into HubSpot for an inbound marketing certification and regularly check out knowledge-based articles on platforms like Constant Contact. I also enjoy live webinars for interactive learning and multitasking.

Ernesto: Awesome. Thank you for sharing that. Now let’s jump into our rapid-fire question round. Are you ready?

Alyssa: I’m ready!

Ernesto: First off, what is the last book you read?

Alyssa: I’m in a book club! The last book I finished was To Selena, with Love by Chris Perez, and now we’re reading What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo.

Ernesto: Great choice with Selena! Next, what is one thing Icom AI is currently focused on the most?

Alyssa: We’re wrapping up some game-changing integrations that will allow customers to reschedule and schedule their own service appointments. We’re also piloting another major feature—though I can’t spill the beans on that yet!

Ernesto: Exciting! If there were no boundaries in technology, what’s one thing you’d fix for your role as a marketer?

Alyssa: I’d love an AI that could fix bugs instantly without the need for support or testing. I’d also love to plug my brain into GPT to create content perfectly aligned with my writing style!

Ernesto: That sounds amazing! If there’s one repetitive task you could automate, what would it be?

Alyssa: I’d love to automate Instagram Stories and streamline gathering KPI data from various platforms. That would save me hours every week!

Ernesto: Great choices. Lastly, with all your experience, what’s one piece of advice you’d give yourself if you were starting your marketing journey today?

Alyssa: I’d tell myself to jump into AI right away. It’s become essential in every industry. I’d also remind myself that it’s okay to step outside the writing sphere and embrace multimedia, even as a beginner.

Ernesto: Alyssa, thank you for that. Before we end, if someone forgets everything about today’s interview, what’s the one thing they should remember about Icom AI?

Alyssa: If they forget everything, I’d want them to know that finding the right AI can lead to great communication and success. But, like any good tool or employee, you should interview and vet your AI to make sure it’s the best fit for you.

Ernesto: There you have it! Alyssa, thank you so much for joining us today. To our listeners, thank you for tuning in, and I look forward to our next episode of Pathmonk Presents.

Alyssa: Thanks, Ernesto.